Mine car



Nov. 14, 1939.

H. E. ABKOWITZ 2,179,679

MINE CAR Filed Aug. 19, 1938 IN V EN TOR.

} A TORNgZ Patented Nov. 14, 1939 MINE CAR Harold E. Abkowitz,Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Pressed Steel Gar Company, Inc., Pittsburgh,Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 19, 1938, Serial No.225,704

5 Claims.

This invention pertains to end dump mine cars and has for its object animproved mounting of the end gate upon the side wall of the car.

Mine tunnels are restricted in width and height for obvious reasons. Theusual practice in mounting end gates on mine cars is to provide rigidside arms on the gate, which arms extend inwardly of the car body andoutside the side walls of the car body. The body side walls and gateside arms are of relatively thin metal insufficient of themselves toprovide adequate bearing surfaces for the members pivotally connectingthe gate to the body side walls. For this reason reinforcements must beapplied to the gate arms and side walls which reinforcements increasethe overall width of the cars at these points. The present inventionseeks to retain these reinforcements without the resultant increase ofcar width heretofore resulting from the use thereof.

In the drawing, forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 shows in sideelevation a car equipped with the invention; Fig. 2 shows in elevationthe gate end of the car; Fig. 3 shows in enlarged detail a section takenon line 3--3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows in enlarged detail a portion of theinner face of the car side wall at the pivot for the gate.

The car illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing comprises aconventional floor 8 and supporting wheels and axles 2 with ladingretaining side walls 3 rising above the floor. At one end of the car theopening between the side walls is closed by an end wall ll rigidlyconnecting the side walls 3. At the opposite end of the car the openingbetween the side walls is closed by an end gate comprising an end wall 5having side arms 6 rigidly connected therewith and extending inwardly ofthe car outside the side walls 3. The end wall 5 extends between theside walls 3 of the car and upwardly from the door to adjacent the topof the said side walls. In cases where the car is wider at the top ofthe side walls than at the floor of the car the end wall 5 is shapedaccordingly. The side arms 6 of the end gate may be of any desired formbut I prefer the substantially triangular shape in order to reduce thedead weight of the car.

In order to reinforce the side walls 3 body girths i connect the floor 5and side walls 3. These body girths I prefer to place inside the walls 3as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In addition to these girths the walls3 adjacent the end gate may be connected by a tie adjacent the upperedges of the side walls. This tie has not been shown as it is well knownin the art and may be of any of the many forms heretofore used. The sidearms 6 of the end gate will also serve to stiffen the side walls 3transversely of the car when placed outside the said side walls and inthis position will not interfere with the aforesaid tie extendingbetween the side Walls or the lading within the car body.

The end gate is pivoted to the side walls 3 by means of pivot pins 8mounted in the side walls 3 adjacent ends of the gate side arms 6.Because of the weight of the end gate and the relatively thin metal inthe side walls 3 and gate arms 6 it is necessary to reinforce thesemembers at the pins 8. The usual practice is to fasten reinforcingplates to the members 3 and 6 at the portions thereof through which thegate pivot pins 8 extend. Such practice resulted in cases where overallwidth of car must be maintained in reducing the width between side walls3 a distance equal to twice the thickness of both said reinforcingplates. This reduction extending throughout the length and width of theside walls 3.

By the present invention I obtain the maximum possible Width betweenside walls 3 for a predetermined overall width of car and thickness ofmaterial forming the side walls and gate arms. The gate side arms 6 oneach side of the car are provided with reinforcing or hearing plates 9disposed on the side of the gate arm adjacent the car side wall. Theseplates may be of any desired contour but are preferably circular and ofthe necessary thickness for their intended purpose. An aperture isformed in each side wall 3 adjacent the plate 9 and of suificientdiameter to admit plate 9 for rotary movement therein. This aperture isclosed by a cover which is preferably a pan-shaped member I9 having aflat base and side flanges secured to the inner face of the car sidewalls 3 to hold the said fiat base in spaced relation to the said sidewalls 3 and adjacent the bearing plate 9. The spacing of said base fromthe outer face of the side wall 3 is slightly less than the thickness ofthe plate 9 so that the arm 6 of the gate does not bear upon side wall 3and bind. To the base of the member In and on the side opposite thebearing plate 9 is secured the bearing plate H. The bearing plates 9 andII are preferably secured to their respective members 6 and I0 bywelding and the whole suitably apertured to receive the gate pivot pins8. The pin 8 is preferably provided at one end with threads to receive asuitable nut !2 for securing the end gate in position upon the car andthe head of the pin is countersunk flush with the gate arm 6.

From the foregoing description and an examination of the drawing it willbe obvious that this method of mounting the gate materially increasesthe lading capacity of the car over that obtained by the former methodof securing the bearing plates directly to the gate arms and car sidewalls 3. Likewise by countersinking the head of the pivot pin thespacing of the side walls may be increased without increasing theoverall width of the car.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mine car having a body including spaced side walls and a gateforming an end wall of the body, the combination of gate side armsextending rearwardly from opposite sides of said gate and disposedadjacent said body side walls, apertures in said side walls adjacent thefree ends of said side arms, a bearing member secured to each said sidearm and disposed within said adjacent aperture, a cover plate secured tothe inner face of each side wall at each said aperture and including aportion disposed in parallel spaced relation to said side wall toprovide an abutment forsaid side arm bearing member disposed in theadjacent aperture, a bearing member secured to each said cover plateportion at the side thereof opposite said side arm bearing member,aligned apertures in each said gate arm bearing members and cover plate,and a bearing pin disposed in said aligned apertures pivotally securingeach gate arm to the adjacent body side wall.

2. In a mine car in combination, spaced body side walls, a gate disposedacross one end of said side walls, side arms on said gate overlying theouter faces of said side walls, apertures in said side walls adjacentthe free ends of said arms, a closure for each said aperture secured tothe inner face of said side walls, a bearing and reinforcing membersecured to said gate side arm and disposed in said adjacent side wallaperture, and means pivotally connecting each side arm to the adjacentside wall and extending through said adjacent aperture and closure.

3. In a mine car in combination, spaced body side walls, a gate forminga body end wall and including side arms overlapping the outer face ofsaid walls, and means disposed wholly within the vertical planes of saidside arms for connecting each said side arms to the adjacent side Wallto provide the maximum spacing apart of said side walls for anypredetermined overall width of gate and side walls each said meansincluding a side arm reinforcing member extending past the verticalplane of the adjacent side wall, a suitable indentation in the side wallto receive said reinforcing member and a pivot member extending throughsaid side arm reinforcing member and side wall.

4. In a mine car in combination, relatively thin body side walls, an endgate having relatively thin side arms disposed substantially against theouter face of said side walls, means pivotally connecting said side armsto said side walls and disposed between the vertical planes of said sidearms, said means including reinforcements for said side arms and sidewalls, the major portion of each said reinforcements being disposedbetween the vertical planes of the outer faces of said side walls.

5. In a mine car in combination, spaced body side walls, an end gateconnecting said side walls to form a body end wall, side arms on saidgate disposed outwardly of said side walls, a pivotal connection betweeneach gate side arm and body side wall, reinforcing means on said sidearms at said pivotal connection and suitably shaped indentations in saidside wall at said pivotal connection for reception of said side armreinforcement.

HAROLD E. ABKOWITZ.

